The 10th Hour 03.19.10: Top 10 Most Intriguing Boss Fights

Posted by Stephen Jefferies on 03.19.2010

From Portal's infamous GLaDOS and Metal Gear Solid's Psycho Mantis to Mojo's console-resetting stunt in X Men and the Time Devourer from Chrono Cross, Stephen Jefferies breaks down some of his favorite non-traditional boss fights. See which ones he found most intriguing and why!

The weekend is almost here, and with it comes a fresh dose of the 10th Hour, full of list-y goodness for your perusal. Honestly, what else is there to do on Friday?

This week we're going to take a glance at one of the major driving forces behind most of today's games – boss encounters. Sure, hacking and slashing through oceans of mindless minions can be fun, but nothing beats the surge of adrenaline that a good, solid boss fight brings with it. Unfortunately, not all boss fights are straight-forward. Sometimes this immerses you into an entire new level of gameplay, forcing you to think outside the box, and other times it's just irritating, making you just as likely to put the controller through the T.V. as you are to finish it. These are the beasties that we're going to look at today -- the unconventional adversaries that leave us scratching our heads while we beat theirs in.

As a side note, since "intriguing" is fairly vague, each item will have an additional segment explaining exactly what aspects of the encounter attracted my attention, and where it deviates from the norm (though that is fairly self-explanatory in many of these).

Now, without any further distractions...BANNER!





(My last article didn't really stir up the masses all that much, so the Comment Corner gets to sit on the sidelines this week. If I irrita—er, inspire conversation from more people this time around, it'll make it's comback next Friday.)

Top 10 Most Intriguing Non-Traditional Boss Fights

10. Krauser's Knife Fight (Resident Evil 4)



I could have named this "any and all quick-time bosses", but most of them are un-inspired, far too easy, or just flat-out annoying. The infamous Hydra battle in God of War managed to balance quick, intuitive fighting with satisfying quick-time elements, and it seems as though game designers haven't been able to get that out of their heads since then. The number of games that implements this sort of element keeps on climbing, but a couple of them manage to stand out in the crowd.

The Shattered Tradition: Krauser's knife fight breaks away from many quick-time boss fights by making itself entirely quicktime. There's no weak spot to expose before playing Simon on his face with your machine gun; just a straight-up twitchfest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain this was one of the first encounters to take this route in such a pure form.

Why It's Intriguing: It's still fun. Even if it wasn't the very first, the battle between Leon and Krauser is nothing short of intense. There are plenty of games with quick-time events that are too easy or paced poorly, siphoning the excitement out of the on-screen action. I distinctly remember leaning forward in my seat, completely absorbed in the moment. I'm a sucker for a zombie story (even one as full of holes as the Resident Evil series), so I was already invested in the game quite a bit. They balanced the interactivity with the spectacle in a way that made it one of the most memorable game cinematic experiences out there.




9. Giygas (Earthbound)


Earthbound (or if you want to be technical, Mother 2) in its entirety could be called "non-traditional" thanks to its zany characters, off-kilter humor, and deceptively unique combat. What's not to like about a twelve year-old psychic saving the world with a baseball bat alongside a monk named Poo? It may not be very impressive on the graphics end, but there's no arguing with the Mother series' originality. The final boss fight is no exception.

The Shattered Tradition: The majority of the final fight is actually fairly straightforward. Giygas, being a typical multi-form boss, has a couple forms you just have to tough through. His "true form" only comes into play after Pokey disables the Devil Machine, alowing Giygas' uncontrollable power to seep through. This curveball allows Giygas to use attacks on the party that can't be described.


All your base are belong to us? Who knows...maybe Giygas attacks with 4chan memes...

How do you defeat him at this point? An otherwise underpowered ability called "Pray". There are a few other bosses roaming around that require "trigger" attacks to defeat, but the specific way that Earthboud/Mother exectues it is what makes it stand out.

Why It's Intriguing: You kill Giygas. Yeah, you. Not Ness. Not you controlling Ness. You. After you've used "Pray" for the ninth time, the game actually uses your name for the finishing blow (or whatever you input as your name. I'd assume at least 70% of Giygases were vanquished when "poop prayed for the safety of his friends!") Fourth wall? Who needs it. Giygas wants to conquer the entire galaxy. That includes your living room, bud. It's certainly cheesy and gimicky, but there's still something to be said about integrating the player into the game.





8. Time Devourer (Chrono Cross)

It is impossible to find a picture of the stupid thing...


I often take flak from fellow gamers for liking Chrono Cross just as much (if not a little more – heresy!) than its predecessor, but that's never stopped me from talking about it. Anyone who enjoys having their head screwed with and who doesn't think too much about time travel can find solace in this time-warped Squaresoft title. The whole game stands out as being unique (whether for better or worse is up to the player), and the final boss fight follows suit.

The Shattered Tradition: Chrono Cross' entire battle engine peeled away from the traditional RPG elements, borrowing the Stamina sytem from Xenogears and opting for a more "equippable" magic feel with its Element system. The actual fight against the Time Devourer doesn't steer away from the traditional boss fight element too much, but if you tackle him head-on, you don't get a very good ending. That's where the twist comes in. To truly defeat the Devourer of Time, you have to utilize the namesake element, Chrono Cross, but the conditions for using it aren't very clear. The technical explanation has something to do with the resonance of cyrstals, and that kind of jazz, but the short answer is much simpler...and weirder: you play a song. Guitar Hero, eat your heart out.

During the fight, casting elements of a particular color will play a haunting note, and a colored circle appears on the top of the screen. In order to use the Chrono Cross, you have to recreate the haunting hymn surrounding the mysterious element in a previous stage. Doing so unlocks the ability to defeat the Time Devourer forever.

Why It's Intriguing: I'll be up front about it: I'm biased in favor of the game, and I can understand how such an off-the-wall strategy could be frustrating for those trying to figure out the secret to Chrono Cross without the use of outside sources. With that said . . . um . . .

Okay, so it's mostly bias. Trying to figure it out is a pain in the rear.





7. Dark Cecil (Final Fantasy IV)




The old-school Final Fantasy games are loaded with all sorts of interesting goodies, but one fight that sticks out in my memory most is Cecil's fight against, well, himself. In an effort to redeem himself for his evil deeds, he must fight a physical manifestation of the darkness within him. This fight has the potential to be incredibly easy, or unbearably difficult.

The Shattered Tradition: To win the fight, you must not fight. The battle is a representation of the struggle within Cecil, and lashing out at his darkness only causes the strife to continue. The more viciously you attack, the longer the fight stretches on. If you attack too much, the fight eventually becomes impossible. You simply defend yourself and heal your own wounds. Eventually the fight subsides, and you become a Paladin! Yay! At level one! Ya---wait, what? Aw, crap!

Why It's Intriguing: The fight's odd mechanics aren't simply there to be annoying. I found this fight so interesting because it actually does a great job of reflecting the internal strife that's going on within Cecil. Rarely do we get to see mechanics and narration with that kind of synergy.






6. Savato (Trauma Center)




When I first got my hands on Trauma Center, it was love at first sight. Solid gameplay, intuitive controls, and an over-the-top anime spin on a very normal profession. We started to have a falling out when I ran into the game's final boss, Savato.

The Shattered Tradition: Where to start? Well, the battle took place inside a heart instead of a sunken temple. In place of a sword the size of a small state, I had a scalpel and a laser, which while cool, could easily hurt the patient if used too much. The fight is more a challenge of speed, reflex, and priorities than a brawl, but it gave me all the adrenaline of a full-out fight and then some. Watching your patients vitals drop while you struggle with the seven different ways Savato is tearing up his innards is a quick way to develop an ulcer.

Why It's Intriguing: The entire game is intriguing, and Savato makes a perfect climax for a very well-balanced story. Though killing a heart parasite may not sound earth-shattering, the intensity of the fight will leave your stylus smoking and your adrenaline pumping. It was truly one of the most satisfying victories I've ever had as a gamer.






5. Beyond Good and Evil Final Encounter (Beyond Good and Evil)

Ever complain about a bad control scheme? Try tackling the final baddie in Beyond Good and Evil. In my opinion, I think he's just pissy that the game was so under-appreciated. There's no other explanation for why he is so unbearably cruel. What form does this cruelty manifest in? Well, funny you should ask.

The Shattered Tradition: The fight is complicated from the get go, requiring you to pay close attention to your environment, health, and the action taking place on the screen. As if that wasn't bad enough, there's one nasty little trick he's got up his sleeve that really tosses a monkey wrench into things. You know those controls you're frantically mashing at? Yeah, now they're reversed. Have fun!

Why It's Intriguing: Messing with a player's control scheme is a quick way to get them to cry foul, but it really doesn't detract from the game much. Sure, it's a little bit frustrating to deal with, but it adds to the overall intensity of the boss fight by messing with you, the player, rather than Jade. Not that Jade won't get messed with. A lot. And probably die. It's a tough ride, but a fun one.






4. Ahriman (Prince of Persia)


For those of you who like hopping around like a caffeinated squirrel, the final boss fight of the new Prince of Persia game shakes things up on you a little bit. The series has always made a point to try and bring new features to each new title, and this time, the final encounter is one of those very things. The goal is to activate three switches and eventually hop into his mouth and seal him away with a few quick-timey button presses, but how you do it is rather interesting.

The Shattered Tradition: The fight itself takes place from Ahriman's perspective. You are still controlling the prince, but you're watching yourself run away. Basically. Elika's Guiding Light will help you out a little bit, but it's nothing short of disorienting.

Why It's Intriguing: It works, and that impresses me. Camera angles are always a big deal. If you were to tell me, "Hey, I'm going to design a boss fight and purposefully make it difficult to see what's going on. I think that's a great idea for a platforming adventure game!" I'd assume you were doing something illegal in your spare time. But surprisingly enough, they make it work, and the end result is pretty nifty.







3. GLaDOS (Portal)

You will be baked. There will be cake. Not if I have anything to say about it, you crazy robot! The final fight in Portal is a wonderful conclusion to a masterfully crafted game, and I'd have been extremely disappointed if the final encounter had been anything short of extraordinary. It wasn't.

The Shattered Tradition: Well, for starters, we're looking at a boss fight where you're essentially weaponless. You have the Portal Gun, and that's it. Unfortunately, GlaDOS is significantly larger than the pesky gun drones that you can toss about, so you have to take an alternate strategy – using her own guns against her and dropping her heads into boiling liquid.

Why It's Intriguing: It's Portal. 'Nuff said. It takes the best of action, puzzle, and adventure (with a touch of dark humor) and combines it into something incredible. If you haven't played it already, you're not human. No, seriously, go buy it now.






2. Mojo's Computer (X Men – Sega Genesis)

I never had the pleasure of playing this game when I was a child, but I remember some of my friends talking about it a long time ago. They were talking about one specific encounter, and it was so strange I actually went online and researched my memories to make sure I hadn't been making it all up. Indeed, I hadn't. The fight against Mojo in X Men for the Sega Genesis is truly one of the strangest fights you'll ever see. But it's not the fight itself that's odd...

The Broken Tradition: Remember that fourth wall we busted through earlier? Yeah, just when you thought it was safe to rebuild, Mojo comes charging through it with a vengeance. The fight itself isn't anything notable, but after defeating him, the game tells you that you must reset the Danger Room console to stop the computer virus from spreading. The only problem is, there's no way to interact with any console in-game.

Guess what does have a reset button and sits about five feet from your feet? Yes, that's right – to complete the encounter you actually have to push the reset button on the Sega console, but be careful! Press it too hard, and you'll reset the game. Cuz, you know...it's the reset button.

Why It's Intriguing: Morbid curiosity, mostly. I don't know what possessed the game developers to think that would be a good idea. At all. That's like giving someone a loaded gun and telling them if they put the barrel to their mouth and pull the trigger lightly, it squirts out juice. Okay, so the scope is a little different, but you get the idea. There's a reason that particular mechanic has never been repeated, methinks.





1. Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)

Metal Gear Solid has always been an innovative series, and nearly every major boss encounter has something to it that adds a little flavor. However, none of them can even come close to Psycho Mantis. You ever yelled at your video game for cheating? Yeah, this one does.

The Shattered Tradition: Psycho Mantis is near unbeatable. He's programmed to read the inputs from your controller and react accordingly. Bullcrap, right? In the GameCube remake, he'll even "read" what's on your memory card and mention some of the games you've played previously, just to freak you out. And trust me, it does freak you out. How do you stop this GameSharking cheater? Switch controller ports. If you plug your controller into port 2, PsychoMantis loses the ability to read your actions, making him a much more tolerable fight.

Why It's Intriguing: To date, this is still one of the most innovative, creative boss fights I can remember seeing. It takes the premise of "psychic enemy" to a whole new level, achieving the same kind of player/storyline immersion that Mother does with its final Prayer. That fight, by itself, immortalized PsychoMantis as one of the most memorable Metal Gear Solid enemies of all time.

Well, that's all we have time for this week. What are some of the most cracked out boss fights you guys have ever faced? I know there are tons more out there that are strange, unusual, and plenty non-traditional. Let's hear some opinions, people!

Ideas for a topic? Suggestions for the column? Need to confess your undying love? Shoot me an e-mail at [e-mail]!

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